Band members, girls with fermented bean curd, step forward!

Page 34

Why don't you put the food on the table for him before he continues? He's so tactless, he can barely hold it!

Upon hearing this request, Xiangzi hurriedly straightened up, took the steaming hot beef rice with both hands, and quickly placed it on the table.

"Eat up, this was made especially for you. If you leave it any longer, it will get cold. Then you'll waste the money for my second meal."

He urged Xiangzi to quickly eat the beef rice. From the time he went to the hospital to his return, almost three hours had passed. She probably hadn't eaten anything except the cola and lollipop Chen had given her initially; he didn't want her to faint again.

"No...I!" Her overwhelming emotions prevented her from even uttering a complete sentence.

Knowing that Xiangzi would simply say something like he wasn't worthy, Chen interrupted the spellcasting.

Doesn't he understand what a teenager is thinking? It's like he never went through puberty.

"Eat quickly!" Chen commanded her in a mock scolding tone.

"If you don't eat, you'll really be letting me down, understand?"

She could no longer escape Chen's concern and picked up the utensils from the plate. Her tears mingled with the rice in her bowl as she swallowed.

She felt she had never eaten such a delicious meal.

She had no doubts about Chen's attitude; she knew it was a desperate measure he used to get her to eat obediently.

"Oh, right~"

To Xiangzi, his voice sounded utterly satisfied and smug, as if he had overcome a major obstacle.

"Nothing is more important than feeding yourself, you know?"

Xiangzi nodded vigorously, disregarding her image as a young lady, and quickly shoveled down the generously portioned beef rice.

"You should eat well, and then I'll talk to you. That way, we won't both miss each other."

Chen continued speaking

"Think about it, you yourself collapsed from hunger on the roadside because you couldn't afford food, and I'm still asking you to pay me back? Let's not even talk about how we're classmates, and how I really like your band. Even if it were a stranger, doing this would be practically murder, right?"

His tone was wistful, interrupting Xiangzi's attempt to speak, and he continued...

"Eat your food properly and don't interrupt! It's not like I don't have requirements; you know I formed a band with that Miss Ai Yin, right?"

"But that's not relevant. I play guitar there, and I'd like you to teach me the keyboard, how about that?"

He lowered his voice so that Ash outside the door wouldn't hear. Otherwise, who knew what Ash might do if he got angry.

"Can you teach me during your lunch break every day in the activity room where we first met? You should have time during your lunch break, right?"

At least give Xiangzi something to do, otherwise she might really die of guilt. Although it doesn't really matter whether she teaches her or not, she has Sister Xiaozhi.

Xiangzi finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Chen didn't ask her to do anything, she probably wouldn't know how to face him in the future.

She nodded vigorously, determined to teach Chen well no matter what.

"It's past ten o'clock now, and the last train has already left. I brought you the Kawasaki train so I wouldn't be late for work, so it wouldn't be convenient for you to go back now, would it?"

Chen felt a little embarrassed. He had thought it wouldn't take long for Teacher Da Xiang to wake up, and that letting her take the tram home by herself wouldn't be a problem. He never expected it to turn out like this.

He planned to take this Miss Xiangzi back to him and Sister Taoxiang's place, lest she try to commit suicide after being left out for just one night; otherwise, all his injuries would have been for nothing.

I'm not afraid that Miss Xiangzi won't listen to me, I'm afraid of Sister Taoxiang!

He sighed, wondering how to persuade Sister Taoxiang to let Miss Xiangzi stay for the night. After all, she certainly couldn't sleep in his room.

"Oh, don't worry. I share an apartment with Sister Taoxiang. She's a woman, and I'm trying to persuade her to let you share a room with her. Don't overthink it, I don't mean anything by it."

"No, don't agree! Toyokawa Shoko! Once you agree, it's really over!..."

Xiangzi's brain was sending out frantic warnings, but at the same time, she was also recalling the alcohol-filled house, her father who wanted to drive her away, and the despair in her heart.

She knew her situation was like a swamp, capable of dragging down anyone who wanted to be rescued.

But she still couldn't help wanting to grab Chen's outstretched hand, even if it would drag him down with her.

"It's settled then. I'm worried about you, so you'll sleep with Sister Taoxiang tonight. I'll go out and try to persuade her."

After racking his brains for a while on how to persuade Sister Taoxiang, Chen prepared to step out of the lounge where countless things had happened overnight, to face the severe interrogation from the trio outside.

She wanted to reach out and stop his body from walking away, but another voice within her made her grasp Chen's hand with only negligible strength.

"Hmm? Don't worry, this is my decision, and I won't put any pressure on you."

His words completely severed Toyokawa Shoko's last escape route. She knew that, from this day forward, her desire for Chen had become unstoppable.

Thank you Wen Yushu for the monthly pass.

Thank you for the five spicy strips from Milk Flavored Yuzu Bird Summer.

Thanks to the two blades from Bi Zhi Hu Po

Chapter 28 A Brief Warmth

In the end, Chen overruled everyone's objections and brought Teacher Da Xiang back.

At this moment, Xiangzi was sitting in the living room of Chen He's Peach Blossom Cottage, holding a cup of hot tea that Chen had brewed for her.

Of course, he didn't have spare money to buy tea; he was using the stock that Sister Taoxiang had bought before.

Anyway, as soon as she got back, she locked her bedroom door tightly, making it clear that she would not let this "Ms. Toyokawa Shoko" in under any circumstances.

Through Chen's introduction, they finally learned the name of the blue-haired girl.

When Chen expressed his intention to take Ms. Toyokawa Shoko back with them, a great uproar broke out in the shop.

Tao Xiang declared that there was absolutely no way she could be taken back, and Xiao Zhi almost rushed in and beat Xiang Zi up again.

In Xiao Zhi's opinion, this woman must have bewitched his little brother. He must correct his little brother's thinking, so he should start by prying open this woman's mouth and making her reveal all her evil thoughts!

The commotion outside was quite loud, and Xiao Xiang in the lounge heard it all clearly.

In the lounge, she leaned against the corner of the wall, her curled-up body straining even more.

Having already weakened, she could only resign herself to fate; she didn't know where else she could go.

Something seemed to have happened; the sounds outside suddenly ceased. After a short while, Chen opened the door and led her out.

With Chen protecting him behind him, Xiangzi was not exposed to their sharp gaze.

On the way back, Chen pushed the blonde girl he called "Momoka" ahead of him. Every time Momoka tried to turn around and intimidate him, Chen would turn her head back to face him and continue pushing her.

Xiangzi could sense that Chen's relationship with his friends had become much more strained because of his promise to him.

They didn't understand why Chen wanted to take Xiangzi back, and no amount of persuasion could change their minds.

If she had been able to decisively refuse Chen's help, would Chen have avoided arguing with his friends?

Xiangzi was so confused, hating her weakness. He hated her for causing Chen trouble.

"Hey, Sister Taoxiang, I'm a little cold tonight. Do you have any extra mattresses? And could you also bring an extra blanket? I'd like to cover myself up more to keep warm..."

Using a lame excuse, Chen Zheng tried every means to get a quilt and mattress from Sister Taoxiang.

If Teacher Da Xiang doesn't cover himself with anything at night and catches a cold, that would be a terrible mistake.

After all, it was Chen who brought her back, and Chen felt he had to take responsibility for her.

As Tao Xiang impatiently threw a quilt and mattress outside, Chen triumphantly placed them next to Xiangzi.

"I haven't been here long and haven't thought about buying a change of bedding, so I can only borrow some from Sister Taoxiang. It'll keep you warm when you sleep at night."

"Have some tea, have some tea while it's warm. It's getting colder and colder, so you need to keep warm..."

His intermittent rambling blurred Xiangzi's vision again.

Forcing back her tears, she let them remain in her eyes.

Xiangzi stroked the quilt placed beside him, his heart filled with countless words, yet he didn't know where to begin.

She wanted to thank him, but didn't know where to begin. She wanted to help, but didn't know what he needed.

At least until his hand recovers, he won't even be able to do what Chen asked him to do: teach him how to use the keyboard.

"Tomorrow's Saturday, you can sleep in as late as you want. Here's the power outlet, I'll charge your phone. Here, this is my Line ID, add me, and if you have any questions, just text or call me."

Xiangzi obediently handed over his phone, staring blankly at the screen that lit up again after being plugged in.

After adding her on LINE, Chen returned her phone.

As always, Nagasaki Motoyo sent her many messages. She didn't block her, but she didn't reply to any of them.

I'm already tired of her clichés. Busy with work, I simply don't have time to respond to her.

Ah, and there was also a message from his father, questioning why he hadn't returned home so late, demanding his beer and money from the day.

Nagasaki Motoyo was just annoying, but the image of her father's anger, dissatisfaction, and scolding displayed on the screen made her body grow colder and colder.

She turned off her phone screen, not wanting to deal with those hurtful words anymore.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her chest, seeking even the slightest sense of security.

She knew the warmth she craved was right beside her, but she couldn't accept her fate; she didn't want him to fall into the mire as well.

"What's wrong, are you cold?"

Chen noticed her movement, unfolded the blanket, and draped it over her.

Then, Chen laid out a mattress in the empty space, and she heard Chen say the following words.

"If you're cold, go to bed early. If you have any worries, sleep it off first. Only when you're well-rested and clear-headed can you make decisions."

"Whatever causes you pain, it must be wrong. Don't doubt your feelings, just run."

Xiangzi wanted to ask him, where could she possibly run off to?

The only place she felt at ease was by his side.

Am I really going to stay here shamelessly like this forever?

She ultimately didn't dare to ask that question, and after thanking him, she fell silent.

Saying that it wasn't appropriate for a man and woman to be alone in a room so late, Chen left the not-so-spacious living room.

Xiangzi reached out his hand to the closed door of his room, trying to hold onto that dreamlike warmth.

The bedding was soft, but her body didn't have the extra energy to warm it.

Without her noticing, her body seemed to have shifted, and the cold bedding had become warm. The furrowed brow she had maintained in her sleep slowly relaxed.

As sunlight streamed into her eyes, her weariness was finally roused.

It seemed the sun was already high in the sky; she had never slept this late before, neither in the past nor now.

I found myself in an unfamiliar room, which, judging from its furnishings, seemed to be a boy's room.

The laptop on the table was closed; she didn't know what brand it was.

Two instrument cases, one for keyboards and one for guitars, leaned against the wall.

The air conditioner in the room was on heating, and I don't know how long it had been running. The display prominently showed 26°C.

As she approached the door, she saw a note pasted on the inside.

"Good morning, Miss Toyokawa. I noticed you were cold while sleeping, so I asked Momoka to bring these to my room. I've turned on the air conditioner; please remember to turn it off when you get up. There's food in the fridge; please heat it up yourself. I've also put some new toiletries in the bathroom of my room; please remember to use them."

"If you want to go back after you get up, I've left you the key; it's on the table. Remember to lock the door when you go out, and then put the key under the rug by the door."

She followed all of Chen's instructions. Stepping out of this place that had given her warmth, this was probably the last time she would ever come here.

She can't escape; she still has to go back to her father.

She didn't come home all night, so how will she be treated?

Her tears, along with the water droplets that fell from her face while washing, all sank into the darkness.

I'm not feeling well today, no inspiration.

Let's stop Xiangzi's scenes for now.

Chapter 29 The Sprint of the One-Mile Runner

Seeing that the map showed he was only ten meters from his target, Chen stopped in front of a detached house.

After preparing the daily necessities for Teacher Da Xiang, he set off on his journey to Boqi's house.

It has to be said that cherry blossom fruits are really expensive, but since this was my first visit and I was invited, it was best to be polite.

Since lunch is free, he figured he was just paying for Poch's meals.

Although my right hand is injured, I can still press the doorbell.